David M. Brown
David Brown}} | death_date = | birth_place =Arlington County, Virginia | death_place =Over Texas | previous_occupation =Test pilot | rank =Captain, USN | selection =NASA Astronaut Group 16 (1996) | time =15d 22h 20m | mission =STS-107 | insignia = }} David McDowell Brown (April 16, 1956 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Navy captain and a NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle Columbia]] (STS-107) disintegrated during orbital reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Brown became an astronaut in 1996, but had not served on a space mission prior to the ''Columbia'' disaster. Education * Attended McKinley Elementary, Arlington, Virginia * 1974: Graduated from Yorktown High School, Arlington, Virginia * 1978: Received bachelor of science degree in biology from the College of William and Mary * 1982: Received a doctorate in medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School Organizations * Active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. * Past President, International Association of Military Flight Surgeon Pilots * Associate Fellow, Aerospace Medical Association * Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons. Awards and honors Brown, the 1986 recipient of the Navy Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year award, received numerous decorations including: Qualification insignia *Naval Aviator *Naval Astronaut *Naval Flight Surgeon Personal decorations *Defense Distinguished Service Medal † *Meritorious Service Medal *Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal *National Defense Service Medal *Congressional Space Medal of Honor † *NASA Distinguished Service Medal † *NASA Space Flight Medal † The † symbol indicates a posthumous award. Military career Brown joined the U.S. Navy after his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Upon completion of flight surgeon training in 1984, he reported to the Navy Branch Hospital in Adak, Alaska, as Director of Medical Services. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Wing Fifteen which deployed aboard the aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific. In 1988, he became the only flight surgeon in a ten-year period to be chosen for pilot training. He was ultimately designated a Naval Aviator in 1990 at NAS Chase Field in Beeville, Texas, ranking number one in his class. Brown was then sent for training and carrier qualification in the A-6E Intruder. In 1991, he reported to the Naval Strike Warfare Center at NAS Fallon, Nevada, where he served as a Strike Leader Attack Training Syllabus Instructor and a Contingency Cell Planning Officer. Additionally, he was qualified in the F/A-18 Hornet and deployed from Japan in 1992 aboard flying the A-6E with VA-115. In 1995, he reported to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland as their flight surgeon where he also flew the T-38 Talon. Brown logged over 2,700 flight hours with 1,700 in high performance military aircraft. He was qualified as first pilot in NASA T-38 aircraft. He held a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued Technician Class amateur radio license with the call sign KC5ZTC. NASA career Selected by NASA in April 1996, Brown reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. He completed two years of training and evaluation, and was qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. He was initially assigned to support payload development for the International Space Station, followed by the astronaut support team responsible for orbiter cockpit setup, crew strap-in, and landing recovery. On April 21, 2001, Brown appeared on ESPN as an expert on g-force loading on the human body that led to the cancellation of the Firestone Firehawk 600 CART race. Brown flew aboard [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle Columbia]] on STS-107, logging 15 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes in space from January 16 to February 1, 2003. The flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. The mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003, when Columbia's crew perished during entry, 16 minutes before the scheduled landing. Tributes * Asteroid 51825 Davidbrown was named in honor of Brown. * Brown Hall, in the Columbia Village apartments, at the Florida Institute of Technology is named after him. * He is the first person ever to be posthumously awarded the William & Mary Alumni Association's Alumni Medal. * The Laurel B. Clark and David M. Brown Aerospace Medicine Academic Center, located at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, is named after him. * The Captain David Brown Aerospace and Medical Research Endowment was established in his memory to help deserving students attending Eastern Virginia Medical School. * The planetarium of Arlington Public Schools was renamed as the David M. Brown Planetarium. * The Dave Brown Memorial Park in Friendswood, Texas, is named after him. * The annual Astronaut Dave Brown Memorial gymnastics meet is held at the College of William & Mary in his honor, where Dave Brown was a gymnast. * Yorktown High School Crew Team Men's Varsity 8 boat name Captain David M. Brown - c. 2003 See also *Space science *Space Shuttle Columbia disaster References External links * * Official biography * David Brown STS-107 Crew Memorial * Captain David Brown Aerospace and Medical Research Endowment * Florida Today — Florida Tech dedicates dorms to Columbia 7 — October 29, 2003 Category:1956 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Space Shuttle Columbia disaster Category:American astronauts Category:Physician astronauts Category:United States Navy astronauts Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia Category:Yorktown High School (Virginia) alumni Category:College of William & Mary alumni Category:Eastern Virginia Medical School alumni Category:United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni Category:American military physicians Category:United States Navy officers Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:American test pilots Category:Aviators from Virginia Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Category:Accidental deaths in Texas Category:Space program fatalities Category:Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal Category:Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Category:Amateur radio people